It All Starts with Dirt. This kind of dirt is called bauxite ore. From four tons of bauxite, it's possible to refine about two tons of alumina-a powdery white oxide of aluminum. And from those two tons of alumina, we can smelt a ton of aluminum. Smelting aluminum was the invention that launched Alcoa in 1888. A ton of aluminum is enough to make the cans for over 60,000 Cokes, Pepsis, or Buds. Enough to make the spaceframes for seven full-size cars. Enough to make 40,000 computer memory disks, capable of storing all the books ever published. All from a truckload of dirt. It's almost magical. And we're proud to have the magicians who can pull it off.
There's no other material quite like aluminum
- it is light in weight
- highly resistant to corrosion
- strong in alloys
- an excellent conductor of electricity and heat
- an excellent reflector of heat and light
- nonmagnetic
- nontoxic
- outstanding in cryogenic properties
- highly workable
- easy to assemble
- and naturally good looking.